Improvement in methods of ventilation



UNITED'ISTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B, DAVY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN METHODS OF VENTILATION.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0.*2l6.083, (lated June Il, 1879 application filed October 11, 1875.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT B. DAvY, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Method of Ventilation, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to an improved method of and apparatus for ventilation in hospitals, halls, public buildings, boats, railroad-cars, Src., which comprises cooling the air in summer, heating it in winter, and 'pn rifying impure air by calcination, oxidatiom'and absorption.

It is known that the present systems of heating winter apartments are, in very many respects, faulty, furnishing, as they do, an insuiiicient quantity of pure air, and necessitating the frequent breathing of foul and vitiated air. Besides this, scientilic researches have proved that there are always floating in the atmosphere an .infinite number of small particles of dust and germs of organisms capable of producing disease when taken into the blood. That these germs develop and multiply much more `readily in close Warm lrooms than they could in the cold'external atmosphere is scarcely to be doubterL Being repeatedly breathed, they become lod ed in the air-passages and nd their way.1nto the blood, to produce certain peculiar forms of disease Well known to the medical'profession.

. The apparatus to be presently described not only consumes every particle of organic matF ter thrown off from the lungs and skin,I (matter whose decomposition produces the heavy disagreeable odor so characteristic of close apart* ments,) but also destroys the vitality of every.

germ, and leaves the air purer than that externally.` r.- l

In summer the apparatus is so modified as -to produce cold instead of heat, so as to prevent the development and propagation of all those organisms capable only of existing in high temperatures, notably among which may be mentioned that of yellow fever.

Comfort and health, then, are the great desid-v4 'erata to be supplied by this-improvement.

In destroying the impurities by heat I resort to calcination, and accomplish the same by forcing the air, along with everything held in suspension, through metallic pipes, heated to dull redness, (1,000o Fahrenheit,)lby means of a blower or fan-wheel.

:Water-tight material.

hot air which escapes, Arenderin g it necessary to heat up the cold air coming in to take its place. All this may he avoided by the method of calcinatiol'nwhich is capable of purifying the atmosphere of an ordinary closed room almost indefinitely. The carbonic acid isdisposed of by passage through an apartment containing lime. The process of refrigeration or cooling the sunlmcr airof buildings is accomplished by forcing the air, in like manner, by means of a fan- Wheel or blower, through a metallic coil immersed in cool or cold water, or covered with ice or a freezing-mixture.

The carbonio acidand moisture are to be re moved by passing the current through caustic lime, and, whennot surfcien tly desiccated passing it also through a chamber containing chloride of calcium, and, finally, when desired, V

through other chambers containing charcoal and through cotton-wool, either one or both, until sufficiently purified.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of an apparatus such as I employ in my method of ventilation. Fig. 2 is a section on the liner/oa'. Fig. 3 is a section on the line y y. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a calciningchamber such as employed in my method.

A represents a shcll, case, or box, which may be of rectangular ligure and of wood or other material. This .box contains a refrigerating tank or chamber, B, of galvanized iron or other Said tank contains a coiled pipe, C, which receives air from a blower, l), and which discharges said fair in a-coolcd condition into one or all of a series of compartments or chambers-to wit, a chamber, E, con* taining caustic lime,- a chamber, F, containing chloride of calcium, a chamber, G, containing charcoal, and a chamber, H, containing dia- 'phragms, h, of cotton-wool.

Suitablelpipes and faucets are provided t '4 enable the attendant to direct the current through any one or more of these chambers in any desired succession, and other faucets to.

enable the discharge of water of condensation.

For calcination I provide a stove, furnace,l

2 v I mamas or hot--air drum,J havin g a coil, through which air is driven by a-blower, K, and which delivers into a chamber, L, containing lime, to take up the surplus moisture and the carbonio acid.

This pipe may, if desired,.dischargc into the v cotton-Wool chamber to rid it of any ashes or Y other mechanical impurities not destroyed by -pipe or coil subjected to a calcining or a refrigeratin g temperature, or each in succession, and thence through lime.

2. 'lhel method of ventilation consisting of causing the entering air to pass in succession through a refrigerating-chamber, and thence through one or all of other chambers, which respectively contain chloride of calcium, charcoal, and cotton-wool.

3.aTl1e Ventilating apparatus consisting of blower D,`coil G, refrigerating-chamber B, and additional chambers E F G H, containing lime, chloride of calcium, charcoal, and cotton-wool, the whole being connected by suitable faucets,

4substantially as set forth.

Y In testimonyr ot' which invention I hereunto set my hand.

v ROBERT B'.l DAVY.

Attest:

JNO. H. KNIGHT,

W. TYsoNJnDKINs. 

